Combined carpet sweeper and vacuum cleaner



Oct. 16, 1928.

W. E. $HERBONDY COMBINED CARPET SWEE PER AND VACUUM CLEANER 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15, 1924 A Tram/Em olt. 1 1928.

W. E. SHERBONDY COMBINED CARPET SWEEPER AND VACUUM CLEANER 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1924 [NVENTOE WM 3, fifuaw 5 Y 73 filgwmy ATTORNEYS Oct. 16, 1928. 1,688,156

W. E. SHERBONDY COMBINED CARPET SWEEPER AND VACUUM CLEANER Filed March 15, 1924 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTO/PNEYS Oct. 16, 1923. 1,688,16

w. E. SHERBONDY COMBINED CARPET SWEEPER AND VACUUM CLEANER Filed Mal ch 15, 1924 6 sheets-sheet 4 ATTORNEYS I Oct. 16, 1928.

W. E. SHERBONDY COMBINED CARPET SWEEPER AND VACUUM CLEANER Filed March 15, 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Uct. 16, 1928.

1,688,156 w. E. SHERBONDY COMBINED CARPET SWEEPER AND VACUUM CLEANER Filed March 15, 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 WM? 256% A2 flue 34mm;

Patented Oct. 16 1928.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. SHERBON'DY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

COMBINED CARPET SWEEPER AND VACUUM CLEANER.

Application filed March 15, 1924. Serial No. 699,395.

Carpet sweepers and power operated vacuum cleaners, as used in the home, supply distinct needs. The carpet sweeper is ordi narily used daily to gather up accessible dirt and scraps from the floor, whereas the vacuum cleaner is of more occasional use and largely for the purpose of removing dust from rugs and other places inaccessible to the carpet sweeper. Moreover, the carpet sweeper is a comparatively cheap instrument, while the vacuum cleaner is comparatively expensive, resulting in many more sweepers being in usethan vacuum cleaners.

I propose, by means of the present inven- 1 tion, to provide an ordinary traction driven carpet sweeper with an electrically driven suction fan, whereby the householder may have a vacuum cleaner at only a small expense greater that that spent for a carpet sweeper. Furthermore, my combined instrument, which has the dust pans and central brush of the carpet sweeper has the carpetsweeper advantages of being able to lift large scraps or quantities of dirt and deposit-- ing them in the pans, and also has the vacuum-cleaner advantages. of doing away with the dust, which the carpet sweeper usually scatters into the air.

One of the objects of my invention may therefore be stated to be the incorporation ina carpet sweeper of a suction mechanism which is so disposed with relation to the brush, and is so operated that a continuous draft from the brush chamber is obtained ed for use in places for which a carpet sweeper is not suitable.

In the drawings Fig; 1 1s a side elevation of a carpet sweeper embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of'the sweeper shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified form .of connection between the sweeper and the suction apparatus; Fig.

independently of the' movement of the 4 is a plan view of the sweeper shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken through a sweeper shown in Fig. 1, and illustrating the use of a device for effecting removal of substantially the entire sweepings from the dust pan; Fig. 6 is a top view of the shield shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a detail in vertical section, taken in the line 77 in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is an end view of the embodiment of Figs. 1' or 5 with the motor and fan unit tipped back and, an independent suction nozzle connected by a hose.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a carpet sweeper embodying a casing having end walls 10, side walls 11 and 12 and a top 18. The casing supports the traction wheels as indicated at 14 and 15 through the usual floating bearing construction indicated in general at 16, and also supports a brush shown at 17. A handle 18 is indicated as having a bail 19, the ends of which are operatively connected to the casing. On' opposite sides of the brush are the usual pivoted dust pans 9, which may be dumped by any suitable mechanism, not shown.

My invention is particularly concerned with the provision of a constantly and selectively operable suction means which functions in conjunction with a sweeper yet permits normal and. independent use of the sweeper. To this end I provide a motor and fan unit mounted within a casing 20 which has a detachable skirt 21 or fan casing adapted to engage the top of the sweeper casing and to be attached thereto. Part of the fan casing, however, is adapted to project into the sweeper casing, and is provided with a throat 22 for permitting attachment of a dust collector 23. The upper end of the collector may be attached to the handle in the usual way.

To connect the suction unit to the sweeper casing, I have shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2 a hinged connection 24 between the throat22, and the side 11 of the sweeper casing. This permits the motor and fan unit to be swung about the sweeper casing as a pivot, wherefore access may be provided to the interior of the suction apparatus. The forward part of the suction casing may be connected to the sweeper by a detachable connection as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7. This connection may comprise a latch 30, which is pivoted at 31 to the top of the sweeper casing and is threaded atthe outer be connected to the casing in any .the latch about the pivot.

end thereof to receive a nut 32. A slot 33 in the sweeper casing permits movement of The casing 20 is shown as having an ear 34 which engages the upper surface of the sweeper casing and is provided with an open slot into which the latch may extend.

An advantage of the apparatus above described is that the fan is disposed directly above the brush. wherefore particles of dust picked up by the brush are drawn through the opening 26 in the bottom plate 27 of the fan casing, then through the throat 22 and into the collector. hiorcover, the suction apparatus functions to raise dust directly throughthe brush, both on the forward and rearward strokes of the sweeper, as well as when the sweeper is stationary. Moreover, this arrangement does not interfere with the normal action of the floating hearing be.- tween the traction wheels and the sweeper casing, so as to permit depression of the casing in the usual way.

A more specific advantage of the hinged mounting of the motor and fan unit above described is that such unit may be swung about the hinge connection, thus exposing the passageway 26 whereupon a conduit may suitable way, such as by means of a flexible hose, to permit use of the suction apparatus independently of the sweeper. By employing a relatively long hose various articles in the room may be cleaned without necessitating movement of the sweeper to which the suc- 4 tion apparatus is attached.

In F g.

8 I have illustrated at 35 an independent suction nozzle connected by a hose 36 with. a cap 37 which may readily make a bayonet joint connection, for instance, with the depending cylindrical skirt 21 of the motor casing 20. When the latter is tipped back on the hinge 24 various forms of nozzles 35 may be employed according to the particular 'use desired. A slotted link 38 pivoted at 39 to the fan casing and normally depending idly into the sweeper casing-may hold the motor and fan unit tipped back when an ofiset in the lower end of the slot engages a stationary pin, as shown;

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown a modification of my invention wherein the motor and fan unit are mounted on a horizontal shaft which is suitably journaled in the casing 20 'This casing may have a, forwardly projecting portion 40 which extends partially into the sweeper casing and provides a passageway which opens :directly over the brusln A flange 41 engages the sweeper casing for positioning the suction unit thereon, while securing members 42 may be employed for holding the suction casing in adjusted position. By plaelng the suction unit on the sweeper casing as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the weight of the motor and the associated casing assists in bringing the brush in close proximity to the surface to be swept, wherefore only little pressure need the handle of the sweeper to move the brush against the tension of the spring bearing for the traction wheels.

This suction apparatus above described has been adapted principally for removing light particles of dust from the sweeper casing. To permit the removal of substantially the entire contents from the sweeper pan, however, I have shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 6, a shield 50 which extends downwardly on each side of the brush and into each dust pan. This shield is shown as forming part of a one-piece member which is shaped at the top to engage about a flanged opening 26 in a plate 27 abutting the motor and fan casing 20, and is shaped at the bottom to permit attachment to the side walls of the sweeper casing as at 52. Thus I provide a member which has a passageway 53 leading upwardly from one dust pan, and a passageway 54 leading upwardly from the other dust pan, which passageways merge into one opening near the suction casing. The shield member is so made that the entrance to each passageway is disposed in close proximity to the bottom of the associated dust pan, wherefore arestricted opening may be obtained which insures the removal of substantially the entire contents from each pan. Suitable openings 56 through the top of the shield 50 allow the fan to draw the dust away from the brush.

An advantage of my invention is that a carpet sweeper may be readily converted into a suction sweeper, merely by cutting an opening within the sweeper casing and inserting the casing which containsthe suction apparatus. Thus, I provide a sweeper which may be used in the ordinary way independently of the suction mechanism, or in conjunction with the suction apparatus as desired. Moreower the suction apparatus may be used with its own nozzle independently of the sweeper without dismantling the combined instrument.

I claim:

1. In combination a carpet sweeper oasing having an opening in the top thereof, a housing carried by the casing over said opening, an electrically operable motor and fan unit disposed within the housing, a. brush carried by the casing, means extending do nwardly from the housing around the brash and having an opening through its top, a dust pan carried by the casing adjacent to the bottom" thereof, said means terminating adjacent the bottom of the dust pan, and providing a passageway therefrom through the housing, and a dust collector associated with said housing.

be exerted upon 2. In combination, a carpet sweeper casing, a brush carried thereby, traction wheels on the casing and operatively connected to the brush, dust pans carried by the casing on opposite sides of the brush, an electrically operable motor and fan unit carried by the casing and having a housing disposed above the brush, and a member straddling the .brush and having an opening therein in communication with the housing, said member providing a passageway for sweepings from the dust pans through the suction housing.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a carpet sweeper casing, a rotary brush therein, dust pans on opposite sides of the brush, a rotary fan carried by the carpet sweeper casing, a housing for said fan communicating with the space above the brush, a bifurcated tubular shield about the brush having one leg leading upwardly from the space above one pan and the other leg from the space above the other pan, the upper portion of such tubular shield being in communication with the interior of the fan housing.

4:. In a device of the character described, the combination of a carpet sweeper casing, traction Wheels carried thereby, a brush in the casing driven by said wheels, an electric motor, a rotary fan driven thereby, a casing for the motor and fan unit secured to the carpet sweeper casing and located over the brush, a bottom plate for the fan chamber having a central opening and a tubular bifurcated shield within the carpet sweeper casing having tubular legs extending downwardly on opposite sides of the brush, and having a common portion above the brush communicating through the opening in said plate with the fan chamber.

5. In combination, a carpet sweeper casing having an opening therein and in com munication with the exterior of the casing, a housing movably connected to the casing above the opening, an electrically operable motor and fan unit disposed within. the housing, a dust collector connected to the housing outside the casing, a brush carried by the casing, a dust pan enclosed within the casing on each side of the brush, and a member operatively connected to the lions ing and extending downwardly on each side of the brush and providing a passageway which terminates above each dust pan.

6. The combination of a casing, a'brush and dust pans therein, the casing having side, end and top walls, the top wall having an opening therethrough extending through the rear edge thereof, an electrically operable motor and fan unit having a housing, said housing having a portion projecting through said opening into close proximity with the brush and a portion pivoted to the rear side wall below the level of the top wall, traction wheels supporting the casing, and means operated by the wheels for rotating the brush.

In testimony whereof,1 hereunto afix my signature.

WILLIAM E. SHERBONDY. 

